Post by Island Head on Sept 3, 2014 20:23:04 GMT -5
From the News & Advance:
Organizers expect attendance at this year’s Lockn’ Festival in Arrington to exceed last year’s by thousands of people — and most will arrive within a two-hour timeframe Thursday.
Some festival-goers will arrive at the crack of dawn to tranquil Nelson County farmland and be ready to rock as early as 6 a.m.
Lockn’ co-founders Dave Frey and Peter Shapiro said they expect about 30,000 people to attend over the course of the four-day festival, and 70 percent of attendees will arrive Thursday between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.
“There’s something happening here,” Shapiro said at the festival site Wednesday. “You’re seeing musicians wanting to be at this festival. This view, this land, this farm…we believe is the best area to host a major music camping festival in America.”
Festival staff put finishing touches on the stages while food trucks and vendors began preparing their sites and building their kitchens.
Regan Thompson of the Oak Ridge Estate in Arrington off U.S. 29, where Lockn’ is held, said many vendors have special stoves shipped in for the festival.
Organizers expect area roads to get congested at times, but hope that backups won’t reach the main thoroughfare.
The music festival runs Thursday through Sunday at Oak Ridge Estate, where big-name performers, including Tom Petty, Willie Nelson, Wilco and the Allman Brothers Band, will grace the stage.
“We’re excited to see the growth that we’re seeing,” Shapiro said who hopes the festival will become much like Bonnaroo and Coachella. “To see Tom Petty here to headline Saturday night, the Allman Brothers are playing their last festival before they stop. It says a lot about the festival [and] about Lockn’ and this area. The goal is to make this the best festival in the country.”
Paula Jones, communications manager at the Virginia Department of Transportation, said VDOT and Lockn’ staff have worked over the past year to ensure the continuous movement of traffic along U.S. 29. during the festival’s duration.
Last year, congestion on the highway stretched for miles heading southbound in the morning and afternoon of the festival’s opening day. Some parking areas in the festival had little staffing support, and wait times to get into the event stretched for hours.
But a new traffic plan has been approved that addresses concerns regarding back up and congestion, Jones said.The highest levels of congestion this year, as last year, are expected to be on Thursday between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m., Jones said.
Jones said fewer campers are expected at the event this year, but more day-trippers, which could result in traffic spikes each day as those with single-day tickets arrive and depart. High levels of traffic are expected on Sunday as traffic arrives in the afternoon and the festival comes to a close that evening.
On U.S. 29, northbound festival traffic will be confined to the right lane, with through traffic in the left lane. Only northbound traffic may enter the event site directly; southbound traffic must travel about five miles past Oak Ridge and make a U-Turn at a crossover near the Taylor-Ramsey Corporation.
Jones said traffic on U.S. 29 will be busy at times, but should remain moving because of the one lane of through traffic.
“We aren’t expecting a lot of congestion on the through lane but people should be alert and aware of that,” Jones said.
Anticipating potential traffic problems, Nelson County Public Schools will be closed Thursday for a staff professional development day, but open again Friday. Last year, Nelson schools closed on both the Thursday and Friday of the event.
Roads expected to be congested throughout the weekend include parts of Arrington and James River roads, where they lead directly off U.S. 29 toward the event site. Other roads around Oak Ridge Estate could get congested, including along Findlay Mountain, Williamstown and Variety Mills roads.
Wilson Road will be closed to event traffic, while all of Oak Ridge Road and Diggs Mountain Road will be closed to through traffic.
Crossovers between Oak Ridge and Tye River roads will be restricted throughout the event, said Jaime Miller, Nelson County emergency services coordinator, but they may re-open at times between Friday and Sunday, depending on traffic.
“The plan is to open them as needed when traffic slows down,” Miller said.
There will be no detours. Traffic updates will be announced through VDOT’s Facebook and Twitter pages.
Last week, Frey said Lockn’ staff is busy getting prepared for the big weekend — and he’s crossing his fingers for good weather.
“It’s been busy,” he said. “We’re crossing all the t’s and dotting all the i’s.”
In the week leading up to the festival, Frey said he had about 200 staff members setting up stages and sound. Starting Thursday, that number will increase to between 700 and 800 staff members.
Organizers expect attendance at this year’s Lockn’ Festival in Arrington to exceed last year’s by thousands of people — and most will arrive within a two-hour timeframe Thursday.
Some festival-goers will arrive at the crack of dawn to tranquil Nelson County farmland and be ready to rock as early as 6 a.m.
Lockn’ co-founders Dave Frey and Peter Shapiro said they expect about 30,000 people to attend over the course of the four-day festival, and 70 percent of attendees will arrive Thursday between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.
“There’s something happening here,” Shapiro said at the festival site Wednesday. “You’re seeing musicians wanting to be at this festival. This view, this land, this farm…we believe is the best area to host a major music camping festival in America.”
Festival staff put finishing touches on the stages while food trucks and vendors began preparing their sites and building their kitchens.
Regan Thompson of the Oak Ridge Estate in Arrington off U.S. 29, where Lockn’ is held, said many vendors have special stoves shipped in for the festival.
Organizers expect area roads to get congested at times, but hope that backups won’t reach the main thoroughfare.
The music festival runs Thursday through Sunday at Oak Ridge Estate, where big-name performers, including Tom Petty, Willie Nelson, Wilco and the Allman Brothers Band, will grace the stage.
“We’re excited to see the growth that we’re seeing,” Shapiro said who hopes the festival will become much like Bonnaroo and Coachella. “To see Tom Petty here to headline Saturday night, the Allman Brothers are playing their last festival before they stop. It says a lot about the festival [and] about Lockn’ and this area. The goal is to make this the best festival in the country.”
Paula Jones, communications manager at the Virginia Department of Transportation, said VDOT and Lockn’ staff have worked over the past year to ensure the continuous movement of traffic along U.S. 29. during the festival’s duration.
Last year, congestion on the highway stretched for miles heading southbound in the morning and afternoon of the festival’s opening day. Some parking areas in the festival had little staffing support, and wait times to get into the event stretched for hours.
But a new traffic plan has been approved that addresses concerns regarding back up and congestion, Jones said.The highest levels of congestion this year, as last year, are expected to be on Thursday between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m., Jones said.
Jones said fewer campers are expected at the event this year, but more day-trippers, which could result in traffic spikes each day as those with single-day tickets arrive and depart. High levels of traffic are expected on Sunday as traffic arrives in the afternoon and the festival comes to a close that evening.
On U.S. 29, northbound festival traffic will be confined to the right lane, with through traffic in the left lane. Only northbound traffic may enter the event site directly; southbound traffic must travel about five miles past Oak Ridge and make a U-Turn at a crossover near the Taylor-Ramsey Corporation.
Jones said traffic on U.S. 29 will be busy at times, but should remain moving because of the one lane of through traffic.
“We aren’t expecting a lot of congestion on the through lane but people should be alert and aware of that,” Jones said.
Anticipating potential traffic problems, Nelson County Public Schools will be closed Thursday for a staff professional development day, but open again Friday. Last year, Nelson schools closed on both the Thursday and Friday of the event.
Roads expected to be congested throughout the weekend include parts of Arrington and James River roads, where they lead directly off U.S. 29 toward the event site. Other roads around Oak Ridge Estate could get congested, including along Findlay Mountain, Williamstown and Variety Mills roads.
Wilson Road will be closed to event traffic, while all of Oak Ridge Road and Diggs Mountain Road will be closed to through traffic.
Crossovers between Oak Ridge and Tye River roads will be restricted throughout the event, said Jaime Miller, Nelson County emergency services coordinator, but they may re-open at times between Friday and Sunday, depending on traffic.
“The plan is to open them as needed when traffic slows down,” Miller said.
There will be no detours. Traffic updates will be announced through VDOT’s Facebook and Twitter pages.
Last week, Frey said Lockn’ staff is busy getting prepared for the big weekend — and he’s crossing his fingers for good weather.
“It’s been busy,” he said. “We’re crossing all the t’s and dotting all the i’s.”
In the week leading up to the festival, Frey said he had about 200 staff members setting up stages and sound. Starting Thursday, that number will increase to between 700 and 800 staff members.
